Working Families Blog is the official blog of New York Working Families, covering issues and politics important to the working families of New York.

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Reports Of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

Paid family leave was the first topic on the agenda of today's 6-way Leadership Meeting between the Governor, Lt Governor, and majority and minority leaders of the Assembly and Senate. This is the first time the Working Families Time to Care Act has been on the agenda at a public leadership meeting. Today's elevation of the issue came hot on the heels of a less-than-optimistic report that the Republican State Senate wouldn't pass paid family leave.

So how did we do at today's leadership meeting?

Initial reports are promising. The talk was overwhelmingly positive. From the Empire Zone:

"they appeared to be close to an agreement that would offer workers up to 12 weeks of family leave to care for newborns or seriously ill family members."

But we're not there yet. Republican Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno warned everyone not to jump to any conclusions about whether the bill would pass, and admitted that some Republican Senators were, in his words, preening for the cameras. From the Daily Politics:

"Everyone made nice noises about family leave"

There's no better example of Albany dysfunction than a Republican State Senate that says they support giving paid time off to parents of newborns (or newly adopted children) and adults who need time to care for ailing relatives, but then not actually passing the bill. Everyone says they support it. Let's get it done.

As a bonus, here's an editorial in favor of paid family leave by Karen Schimke, President and CEO of Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy, and Carol Saginaw, Executive Director of the NYS Child Care Coordinating Council, in the Albany Times-Union.